Orange alert issued in north Tamil Nadu districts as Cyclone Montha advances

Cyclone Montha, now located about 560 km from Chennai, is expected to bring heavy rainfall to the northern parts of Tamil Nadu until it crosses the coast on Tuesday (October 28, 2025) evening or night.

The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, has maintained an orange alert indicating heavy to very heavy rainfall up to 20 cm in Ranipet, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram, and Chennai districts for 24 hours till 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday. Villupuram, Chengalpattu, and Puducherry are likely to receive heavy rains up to 12 cm during the same period.

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In its Nowcast till 1 p.m. on Monday (October 27), the RMC has predicted moderate rains to continue over Chennai and its neighbouring districts, and Villupuram and Ranipet. Coimbatore, Theni, Nilgiris, and Dindigul are also likely to receive light to moderate rains.

The cyclonic storm, which has moved at a speed of 15 kmph during the past six hours, lies over southwest and adjoining westcentral and southeast Bay of Bengal, about 560 km east-southeast of Chennai and 620 km south-southeast of Kakinada (Andhra Pradesh).

The weather system is likely to intensify into a severe cyclonic storm by Tuesday morning and move further northwestwards and cross the Andhra Pradesh coast between Machilipatnam and Kalingapatnam around Kakinada with a maximum speed of 90-100 kmph gusting up to 110 kmph.

During the past 24 hours ending 8.30 a.m., some places in the State received moderate rainfall. Korattur in Chennai and Tiruttani received 5 cm each, the highest amount of rainfall recorded in the State on the day.

Rains to continue

Scattered rainfall would continue over north Tamil Nadu on Tuesday, particularly in light of the prevailing cyclonic storm. Intense downpour would continue over Tiruvallur on Tuesday. A yellow alert has been issued for seven districts, including Ranipet, Kancheepuram, and Chennai, on Tuesday.

Another active weather system, which is stationary over the Arabian Sea, is likely to bring rain to parts of south Tamil Nadu and districts along the Western Ghats till Tuesday. The RMC has warned that strong surface winds of speed gusting up to 50 kmph will prevail over north coastal and adjoining districts of Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and the Karaikal area on Monday and Tuesday.

Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea as squally winds will blow along and off the Tamil Nadu-Puducherry coast, over Gulf of Mannar, and the Comorin area till October 30.

In the Chennai region, floodgates of the Red Hills reservoir have been closed owing to a drop in the inflow and lack of rainfall on Monday. However, water discharge from Poondi reservoir, one of Chennai’s major drinking water sources, has been gradually stepped up to 7,000 cubic feet per second of water on Monday morning, following heavy inflows from check dams upstream in the State as well as Andhra Pradesh.